COLORADO MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR 1994 COLD CASE MURDER OF TWO STRANGERS IN HUNTINGTON BEACH

*Press conference with further details to be held on May 15, 2017

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Colorado man will be arraigned today for the 1994 cold case murder of two strangers in Huntington Beach.

Defendant

Charges

Maximum Sentence

Court Date

Lamberto Ricci Castillo, 64, Alamosa, Colo.

Charged on April 27, 2017, with:

Two felony counts of murder

Sentencing Enhancements:

(2) Use of a firearm

Special Circumstances - multiple murders

Life in state prison

Arraignment

May 15, 2017, 10:00 a.m.

Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana

There will be further details regarding this case released at a press conference, which is scheduled for Monday, May 15, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. The press conference will be held at City Hall next to City Council Chambers, located at 2000 Main Street, Huntington Beach, California 92648.

Circumstances of the Case

On the evening of March 31, 1994, Kenny Paul Sommer, 23, and Chen ‘Cosmo’ Maui Blanchard, 23, were socializing in downtown Huntington Beach.

The defendant is accused of verbally confronting Sommer and Blanchard as they urinating in the street near the area of Main Street and Orange Avenue.

Castillo is accused of walking away after the argument and returning at approximately 10:15 p.m. with a handgun.

An off-duty police officer witnessed the confrontation but not the shooting,

Castillo is accused of shooting Sommer and Blanchard multiple times before fleeing the scene.

Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) officers responded to multiple calls concerning shots fired in the area of Main Street and Orange Avenue and discovered Sommer and Blanchard lying on the ground.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Huntington Beach Police Department re-opened this case in 2016 and reached out to the Orange County Cold Case Homicide Task Force (OCHTF) to assist in the investigation.

Castillo was arrested in Alamosa on April 27, 2017, based on newly developed evidence.The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.